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In the Visor Survival Kit article -- which contained many good ideas, most especially insuring your Visor -- the author mentioned that Visor users should buy name-brand batteries, as battery using modules suck the cheapies dry.

I disagree. I did some testing -- using the 8mb Flash, the Backup, the SoundsGood, and Tiger Woods -- and found that name-brand batteries gave me, at most, about eight percent longer life. Considering that the cheapies can usually be had for one-third the price, IMO not even saving the economy is worth paying for the Energizer Bunny.

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--
Jeff Wilder
San Francisco CA
"I'm tellin' you guys -- suin' people kicks ass!" -- Eric Cartman

Somewhere there is a battery meter record keeping program/hack.

With it you can (over the course of several weeks) use several types of batteries and then track the performance of each to compare.

The ONLY reason to be leery of really cheap batteries is the slightly greater chance that they may leak. If you test them for endurance, and keep a log of what you paid for each type, I'm sure you can come to some logical conclusion as to which batteries are the best volt-hour/buck for your usage pattern.

Or do what I do... Use rechargeables.

Dave

__________________
There is nothing yet made by man that cannot be improved upon.

I fall in between of the agree/disagree.

Most of the no-name alkaline batteries are made by one of the major brands: Duracell, Eveready, Ray-O-Vac--- and Sony and Panasonic.

The latter two also manufacture NiCads and NiMH used in OEM rechargable battery packs.

The chances of leakage of name brands vs. generics I don't think has ever been objectively researched; rather more of the ancedotal experiences. Personally, I've had Duracells leak more often than any other brands I've used. And I can always get any battery to leak by leaving them in a hot environment.

With that said, I once did a price vs. performance test using Runtime and various AAA Alkalines. My results were similar to wilder_jw's-- the extended life was not worth the cost effective for me.

However, it might be worth it for someone who doesn't like replacing batteries as often and is willing to spend the few extra bucks.

And then again, it also depends on personal usage. Hence the agree/disagree position

My personal alkaline favorite for my usage is are the EverActive brand from Wal-Mart. They've consistently given the best all-around duration vs. price... almost a calendar month's worth with a runtime of around 12 hours. Since I don't engage in any high-draining activities, at less than $3.40 a *six*-pack, this is far cheaper than the standard Duracell/Eveready alkalines.

I think what's more important is where you get your batteries rather than brand name vs generic. Get your batteries from a place that turns over their inventory relatively quickly, so their stock is always relatively fresh. Now that the brand name manufacturers are starting to put "best before" dates, getting fresh batteries is a lot easier. Buy batteries from the corner store that maybe gets a new case every 5 or 6 months, then you'll probably end up with batteries that don't last very long, regardless of whether they're brand name or generic. I figure if you have to blow the dust off a pack of batteries you grab off the shelf, then you probably should find another place to get them.

Personally, I use NiCads and NiMH (NiCads only because I happened to have a couple of sets around from before I got my Platinum). 2 sets of each, 1 set in the platinum, 1 set charged and waiting in my bag, the other two sitting in my charger waiting to be juiced up again.

[Edited by imabug on 02-09-2001 at 04:00 PM]

Batteries

Consumer Reports had a test of different alkaline battery brands. I also turns out that Duracell and Eveready manufacture some house brands (Eveready makes Wal-Mart and Duracell makes Costco's Kirkland). Those house brands are way cheaper, especially in bulk (Costco). I use NiMH AA and the Full Charge now, but used to buy Kirkland AA's for my portable CD, flashlights, and Motorola Talkabouts. They did just fine. I used to use regular Duracells in my Visor only because there was no Kirkland brand in AAA. After I saw the tests for the Duracell Ultras and the e2's, I didn't think that the price premium was worth the small extra run time.

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